Press Releases & Announcements

Hospitals generally seek to improve the quality of life for their individual patients, however, Danbury Hospital is seeking to better the level of care for all of Western Connecticut and nearby New York by building a new clinical addition that will rival some of the most prominent medical institutions in the country. The hospital has plans for $150 million project that will add approximately 300,000 square feet of new construction to Danbury Hospital’s existing campus, the largest expansion in the hospital’s 125-year history. The contemporary North Tower building will feature a welcoming patient centered environment, more private rooms, latest technology and design efficiencies and an expanded, sophisticated Emergency Department (ED) able to service 88,000 visits per year.

Patient-Centric Model of Care

“We have always sought to deliver ‘a higher level of care’ in a way that positively impacts our patients and community,” said John Murphy, MD, President of Danbury Hospital. “This project means that we will no longer be bound by space constraints and we can now make our patient-centric vision a reality. Our new model is all about elevating the quality of care, improving patient and physician access and maximizing patient privacy.”

Dr. Murphy notes that one important way of achieving this goal is by providing single patient rooms in the new facility. According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, single patient rooms offer many benefits to both the patient and medical provider, including:

Improved Emergency Department

A report by the American College for Emergency Physicians found that patients who need to be seen in 1 to 14 minutes in an ED are being seen in twice that timeframe due to overpopulation.

“When our Emergency Department was renovated in 1998, it was designed to service a maximum of 40,000 patients,” adds Patrick Broderick, MD, Chairman of Emergency Services at Danbury Hospital. “Right now, nearly 70,000 patients visit our ED each year. Even though our space is limited, we’ve worked very hard to maintain a high level of patient satisfaction. Going forward, our new and improved ED alone will transform our ability to treat our ever-growing patient population.”

Dr. Broderick notes that the increased physical space from 24,000 to 40,000 square feet will accommodate approximately 88,000 visits per year. Other amenities in the new ED include:

A fast-track area

A triage area

More adult treatment rooms

An Observation Unit for overnight observation patients, which will free-up inpatient beds located throughout other areas of the Hospital

“Overall, our new ED expansion will improve the efficiency of care for patients, as well as more appropriately accommodate the needs of a modern hospital environment,” said Dr. Murphy.

Boosting the Economy

Besides being a crucial healthcare initiative, Dr. Murphy notes that the North Tower expansion project is also a major economic driver as it will create 500 new jobs and infuse an estimated $250 million into the local economy over the next few years. “This project marks a major step forward in the support of our many long-term goals, resulting in Danbury Hospital becoming a top healthcare destination in the CT and NY region,” adds Dr. Murphy. “We eagerly anticipate working closely with both our medical partners and the greater Danbury community throughout the coming months as we build a hospital to meet today’s and also the future needs of our community!”

Ground breaking of the first phase of the project - the garage - will begin in spring 2011, and is targeted for completion in 2014.